A curable formaldehyde-free binding composition for use with fiberglass is provided. Such curable composition comprises an aldehyde or ketone and an amine salt of an inorganic acid. The composition when applied to fiberglass is cured to form a water-insoluble binder which exhibits good adhesion to glass. In a preferred embodiment the composition when applied to fiberglass provides a sufficient blackness required in facer products.

Embodiments of the present technology include a formaldehyde-free binder composition. The composition may include melamine. The composition may also include a reducing sugar. In addition, the binder composition may include a non-carbohydrate aldehyde or ketone. Embodiments may also include a method of making a formaldehyde-free binder composition. The method may include dissolving melamine in an aqueous solution of a reducing sugar. The concentration of the reducing sugar may be 30 wt. % to 70 wt. % of the aqueous solution, which may be at a temperature of 50 C. to 100 C. The method may also include adding a non-carbohydrate aldehyde or ketone to the dissolved melamine in the aqueous solution to form a binder solution. The temperature of the aqueous solution of the dissolved melamine may be 50 C. to 100 C. during the addition of the non-carbohydrate aldehyde or ketone. The method may further include reducing the temperature of the binder solution.

A coating composition containing a radiation-curable component, a photoinitiator, and a UV absorber is described. The coating composition may be applied to an optical fiber and cured to form a coating. The UV absorber provides a protective function by inhibiting unintended curing of the coating that may occur upon exposure of the fiber to UV light during fiber processing. The spectral overlap of the photoinitiator and UV absorber is minimized to permit efficient photoinitiation of the curing reaction over one or more wavelengths. Photoinitiation may be excited by an LED source with a peak emission wavelength in the range from 360 nm-410 nm.

A coating is applied on a first end face of an optical component which includes a cladding and a core for guiding light. The first end face has a cladding front face and a core front face. The core front face is covered with a mask, the coating is applied onto the first end face, the coating s removed from the masked core front face, and for covering the core front face, a lacquer layer made of a photo resist is applied onto the first end face. The photo resist is exposed to light from the rear side only in the region of one of the front faces such that light is input on the second end face of the component only in one of the two regions, and the lacquer layer is subsequently selectively removed.

A flame retardant optical fiber is provided. The flame retardant optical fiber includes a glass core, a cladding surrounding the glass core and a primary coating adhered to the cladding. The flame retardant optical fiber also includes a secondary coating surrounding the primary coating, wherein the secondary coating is formed from a coating composition that is substantially free of an oligomeric component and that comprises a flame retardant composition including a flame retardant material.

An optical fiber production system is provided. The system includes a draw furnace from which an optical fiber is drawn along a first vertical pathway, at least one coating system where at least one coating is applied to the optical fiber and an irradiator in which the at least one coating is cured. The system also includes a fiber take-up system including a fiber storage spool, a whip shield that substantially surrounds the fiber storage spool and at least one light emitting diode (LED) positioned in the interior of the whip shield, wherein the at least one LED directs UV light to coated optical fiber in the fiber take-up system.

A method of manufacturing an optical fiber includes drawing an optical fiber preform and forming a bare optical fiber, disposing a coating layer formed of a resin on an outer circumference of the bare optical fiber, and curing the coating layer and obtaining an optical fiber. A direction of the bare optical fiber is changed by a direction changer in any position from drawing the optical fiber to disposing the coating layer, and the direction changer includes a guide groove which guides the bare optical fiber.

The present invention provides a two-layer structure colored optical fiber which includes a colored secondary coating layer improved in collectability and separability. The two-layer structure colored optical fiber in an embodiment of the present invention includes a glass optical fiber, a primary coating layer coating the glass optical fiber, and a colored secondary coating layer coating the primary coating layer. The secondary coating layer has such characteristics that a surface cure percentage is 99% or more at an infrared absorption peak of a wave number of 1407 cm.sup.1 and a surface kinetic friction force in Knot Test is less than 0.075 N.

Apparatus and method for producing metal-coated optical fiber is provided. One step of such a method comprises providing a length of optical fiber having a glass fiber with or without a carbon layer surrounded by a polymeric, thermoplastic resin or wax coating. The optical fiber is passed through a series of solution baths such that the fiber will contact the solution in each bath for a predetermined dwell time, the series of solution baths or thermal tooling effecting removal of the polymer, thermoplastic resin or wax coating and subsequent electroless plating of metal on the glass fiber. The optical fiber is collected after metal plating so that a selected quantity of said metal-coated optical fiber is gathered. At least one of the solution baths comprises a coiled tube containing the process solution through which the glass fiber passes. Aspects of the present invention are also applicable to conventional metal wire where it is desirable to reduce physical length of the process line.

Apparatus and method for producing metal-coated optical fiber is provided. One step of such a method comprises providing a length of optical fiber having a glass fiber with or without a carbon layer surrounded by a polymeric, thermoplastic resin or wax coating. The optical fiber is passed through a series of solution baths such that the fiber will contact the solution in each bath for a predetermined dwell time, the series of solution baths or thermal tooling effecting removal of the polymer, thermoplastic resin or wax coating and subsequent electroless plating of metal on the glass fiber. The optical fiber is collected after metal plating so that a selected quantity of said metal-coated optical fiber is gathered. At least one of the solution baths comprises a coiled tube containing the process solution through which the glass fiber passes. Aspects of the present invention are also applicable to conventional metal wire where it is desirable to reduce physical length of the process line.